Magnesium Glycinate for 11-12 year olds

[overwhelmed86]

Hi, I am hoping some of you can help me please, as there are so many to choose from and different doses.

My DD11 is waiting to be assessed for autism and is having trouble getting to sleep every night, so I had been recommended magnesium glycinate. Apparently for her age you need around 240mg but I can’t find any for that dose.

Can anyone recommend a specific magnesium supplement they use for their similar aged child that has helped improve their sleep? Thanks so much!

No advice fur children but when I tried magnesium it gave me terrible stomach trouble, so go carefully

Thanks@namechange0998776554799000I read about that and people having intense dreams, so will have to watch out for those with her.

I get novomins magnesium gummies which I think are only 60mg, but they have a quantifiable positive effect (knocked several hours of anxiety of every bedtime). 240g is loads!!

Id be wary to be honest- I not only had the most intense dreams nightly, I woke up feeling exhausted, like I’d been woken up from a nap. Nobody else I know has experienced this but I came off it after a month and started the usual, screen free, no water or tea after a certain time. It’s much better and am sleeping through the night (except when I break and drink tea at night!!)

@BestZebbiethanks, I did think that and maybe it’s why I can’t find that amount! How old is your child?

@Morepositivemum oh really? I was going to start taking some myself as well so will bear this in mind.

Haven’t heard it from anyone else but every night I took it I had the same, the few days I’d try not taking it woke up not too bad (but would not sleep through the night and didn’t have the dreams either!). Maybe it just doesn’t agree with me!!!

Started taking them daily aged 10, still a tween.
FYI Vitamin B6 (Niacin, but in the form niacinamide/nicotinamide - nothing to do with cigarettes though) is also supposed to also work for the same issues in the same group who respond well to magnesium, though we don't use that as all the B-vitamin gummies have flavours that are 'unacceptable'....

Ah thank you. I will give them a try at 60mg and see if it makes a difference. I’ll try anything, as bedtimes are horrendous and she just can’t seem to wind down. And thanks for the tip on niconomide too.

I assume you've tried melatonin? I've never seen magnesium suggested before melatonin, and many autistic children I know take it

@namechange0998776554799000she hasn’t been diagnosed yet and I’ve read that they don’t like to prescribe melatonin without a diagnosis. So we haven’t gone to the GP yet, we were going to try these first. Sorry I am taking so long to reply, I’m not receiving the emails that anyone has commented.

Who recommended Magnesium/other supplements?
Choose your advice carefully

I use a magnesium spray every night, my daughter uses it if she's struggling to get to sleep. It's very effective and you don't have any of the tummy issues.
It's called BetterYou magnesium sleep spray.

You can buy melatonin online which is what most parents I know do. My sons been taking it for many years, we buy it from biovea. He was also prescribed it by CAMHS (after diagnosis), but they would only give us soluble tablets which didn't work for him, we buy liquid.

personally I'd feel more comfortable with melatonin than magnesium, I assumed it was a doctor that had recommended it to you

I’ve been reading about magnesium glycinate in various places and how it can help children who have trouble getting to sleep. I know it doesn’t work for everyone but I haven’t just been told to try it by one random person, I’ve looked into over a few months. Am going to give it a go for a month and see how we get on.

Re. buying melatonin online, I don’t want to go down that route at the moment because I’ve read it can be risky and should be prescription only.

thank you @SillyBilly123456i will give the spray a go. She uses the BetterYou spray for Vitamin D (recommended by the GP) and it has definitely made a difference, so the Magnesium one could be worth a go!

Before medicating, especially with over the counter doses that aren’t considered for child / size / weight dosage - without medical advise I would want to know that I have exhausted all the other methods of sleep hygiene - especially screens - first :

connect.humber.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GOSH_Sleep_Hygiene_in_children.pdf

I tried this for my insomnia & it had zero effect (good or bad).

I'm only so wary because I had such a bad reaction to it, it really did make me very very ill. Do keep a close eye on her if you try it.

Realised that the 240mg of magnesium I had read was the total a 12 year old should have per day in their diet and supplements combined, not what I should have been looking for in a supplement only! The ones I bought provide 65mg of magnesium glycinate and are suitable for age 3 plus.

@PolyVagalNervethanks for sending this.
We’ve tried various things and she also has a weighted blanket to try and calm her once she’s in bed. She is fine sleeping once she gets to sleep but her brain can’t switch off and she is bouncing all round the place, so even trying to get her into bed can be a battle. Then she says she can’t sleep and is singing, talking etc. instead of lying there quietly like she used to a few months ago. I didn’t know how good I had it! If these don’t work (and continuing good sleep habits e.g. screens, calming activities) then we will go to the GP to ask about melatonin.

@namechange0998776554799000sorry to hear that. In what way did it make you ill,
did it upset your stomach? They say glycinate is the most gentle form on your stomach and citrate is one that can irritate it, but of course everyone reacts differently and it doesn’t agree with everyone, so I will keep an eye out for any changes and stop them if she starts to feel off. Thank you.

I LOVE my magnesium supplements! I sleep like a log and they don't affect my dreams or make me ill. I hope they are effective for your DD @overwhelmed86

Yes, they upset my stomach - just very badly, I couldn't leave the bathroom for a full day after I'd taken them and it took me a week to recover. I didn't take them for sleep, I'd had a blood test and my magnesium was low so I was trying to top it up. I can't tolerate the topical sprays either, they make my skin burn. Apparently to this is common if you have a deficiency (and I would argue that if you don't have a deficiency, surely you don't need it). I never tried the oral spray though.

Your daughter sounds a bit like my son, he's fine once he's asleep but could easily stay up until 1am just unable to fall asleep. After his asd diagnosis we saw a neurologist at the sleep clinic and he was diagnosed with a sleep disorder, she prescribed melatonin but he was already taking it by that point anyway. It was a very long waiting list to get to that point, so unless you're going to go private I wouldn't delay with going to the GP.

My daughter (also ASD but very different to DS) has found her rhythm in reading to fall asleep. I'm sure you've tried that, but keep experimenting, maybe she'll find something that works for her. Gradually dimming the lights for an hour before bed also helps us and maybe some sort of music or white noise might help.

It's magnesium citrate that upsets your stomach. Magnesium glycinate should be ok.

Be careful with where you buy them from though. There was a recent brand on Amazon which was being used and promoted by a lot of online groups and it turned out it was laced with melatonin. Obviously unknown quality and amount so not good at all!

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/parents-and-caregivers-advised-to-stop-all-use-of-specific-brand-of-kids-magnesium-gummies-due-to-the-presence-of-an-undeclared-prescription-only-med

Omg that sounds awful, no wonder you want to stay away from it. Thanks for sharing about your children too and what has helped with their sleep. It’s so hard isn’t it?